Re: [microsound] iPhone iSux

[David Powers <cyborgk@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 1/16/07, shift8 <shift8@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> so - what if you had a lemur that fit in your pocket, was motion
> sensitive, responded like a theremin to your proximity to it, and a
> bunch of other crap, and also ran at least one of the apps it was
> controlling locally?  now how about if it was your cell too?  that's the
> relation to the list...  the other part is about whether you can or
> can't program for it.  if there are no interpreters or compilers for the
> device, then you can't.  and that's sad.  and there aren't, and that's
> sad.

1. If it did work like a Lemur, why would I want to use a Lemur as my
cell phone? Seriously, I don't get this craze of wanting your phone to
be more than a phone. Phones get dropped, broken, and stolen (at least
mine do). I prefer to keep my musical instruments at least somewhat
safe. Even the use my laptop gets makes me nervous...

2. If you can't program for it, than it really isn't like a Lemur, is
it? Because theoretically, to use it as such, you'd need to make
custom GUI stuff and having it sending Open Sound Control messages
over the network to the audio/visual app of your choice.

3. At this point, even the Lemur seems overhyped. Is more intuitive
always better? Is a visual, physical interface always better than a
text+typewriter one? I submit that, in most cases, text+QWERTY
keyboard (full size not laptop, please) offers a superior interface,
especially for something involving coding. This might change in the
future, as visual programming does offer intriguing possibilities, but
for now, I think that as humans LANGUAGES (both human and computer)
are perhaps our most powerful human invention, and text+keyboard
interfaces let us access this in a very powerful way. I personally am
looking to do some audio work that will get me away from GUI
interfaces and let me deal with things on a more code based level:
right now I'm very intrigued and considering exploring the following:
chuck/supercollider/fluxus/processing/python. I am actually tired of
using GUI's in many situations where they seem unnecessary; do I
really need to open up a file in SoundForge and see it onscreen, when
all I'm doing is normalizing it? Or take Ableton, which I do perform
live with: most of the time, most of the interface is taking up space,
conveying no information necessary for my performance, and just
getting in my way.

4. In my opinion, nothing beats the power of pen/pencil and paper.
They are far more useful than any handheld device I've ever seen. Even
for computation - you can write very good code, plan an OOP class, or
design the outline for a Pure Data patch with pen and paper. You can
plan out a music composition both visually and using precise numerical
computations. With staff paper, you can also write a symphony. It's
also fun doodling unrelated things in the margins. I have yet to see a
handheld device as flexible and fun as pen and paper. In fact - this
actually has inspired me to consider whether I might be able to write
a "sketchpad" program that does capture some of what I like about pen
and paper brainstorming; I have yet to see such a thing.

Anyway, my overall point is: I love cool technology too, but sometimes
I think people get lost in the race to own the newest overhyped
gadgets, and don't realize that these gadgets aren't really improving
their ability to create as artists, or to exist as human beings.

~David

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